A book that has the feel of true crime without it being true crime. I loved the aspect of the world watching her while she tries to find the man who murdered her mother, and I enjoyed the ending. It wasn’t a perfect ending, but it was a fitting ending. Sometimes that’s all you need.

While I appreciate the fact that I was accepted to read this book I was disappointed in it.

Its slow and the writing never seems to pick up the pace. Too many details, removed from the main plot, which could have been interesting had it been matched by the writing.

A massive thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Wow!
I’m not often left speechless by a book, but 14 ways to die definitely did that. I loved everything about this story.... the storyline... the characters,,, the twists and turns. I especially liked the structure. The short chapters kept the story so pacey and enjoyable. I literally have not been able to put this down.

As far as debut novels go, this one is exceptional! I definitely want to read more from this author!

With a novel plot and plenty of layers, this thriller had so much to offer. So many stories told beyond that of a who-done-it murder complete with red herrings.

Highly recommend for fans of YA thrillers.

This book was really good! I love mystery books like these and this one did not disappoint. I could not put the book down and every spare moment I had, I read this book.

I Iike how this book was unique from other mystery books. It uses Social Media and YouTube to help catch a killer and that’s interesting because things like this could actually happen in real life. I also just liked the different characters. The author was good at writing bubbly characters like Emily and brooding/sad characters like her dad. I never got any characters mixed up and that’s a big plus. I especially like how there was a hint of romance, but not enough to take the main focus away from the mystery aspect. The only thing I didn’t like was how the main character would always go out and do reckless things where she could get caught easily. Some of the things she did were stupid, but other than that I absolutely loved this book!

Overall this book was amazing and I would recommend it to mystery lovers. Anyone who likes One of Us is Lying and other books like that will love this one.

Alright, so. I didn’t love this book. I definitely didn’t hate it, I just found it to be so-so. Entertaining enough for me to read it in less than a day, as it was a fast paced, and an easy read, as the writing flowed nicely. The chapters were very short, which I liked, as I found that it worked with this particular story, but I feel that some people may find it to be choppy and feel the opposite as I did about it, and feel that it takes away from the flow of the story.

I was initially very compelled by this book, as I feel that it definitely had an interesting premise. It was a uniquely interesting take on murder and serial killers in the age of technology, and the YouTube reality show competition aspect certainly gave the story an added flair and upped the drama.

I also liked the main character, and was intrigued by her tragic back story and her need to uncover the identity of the infamous serial killer that murdered her mother.

But unfortunately, in spite of the many positives of this book, I ultimately just found it to be an okay read, and overall it fell flat for me. It was a bit too far fetched in certain instances, and I was underwhelmed by the resolution of the mystery, as it just didn’t quite fit.

I would still recommend this book though, especially to anybody who enjoys YA thrillers, as this story was fun and entertaining.

3.5
This was an interesting take on murder. In the age of technology trying to catch an infamous serial killer.

There were lots of good things about this book - it was fast paced, the main character is likable, the premise is fun. But overall it just felt a little farfetched. The resolution of the mystery just seemed like it didn't quite fit.

I would still recommend it to teens who enjoy thrillers, especially as this one does not focus on a love interest, but instead on family.

Get out the cement, because there are some major plot holes that need to be patched up. But, on the flip side, murder mysteries are fun and I know my students love books like this trope, so I'll still add it to my library.

Jess throws her hat in the ring to be selected for a live stream featuring a teen with a story to tell. She'll be competing against four other teens with compelling stories to earn a spot for a three-month feature. Her story? Jess's mom was the first victim of the Magpie Man, a serial killer who strikes every 9 months. Jess has grown up in the shadow of this tragedy and her goal is to catch a killer and end the spree of murders. But, there's conflict at every angle, plus she's putting her life in the public eye at the cost of losing her privacy. Will she solve the mystery of the Magpie Man before he strikes again?

Told in very short chapters with must-turn-the-page endings, the story is compelling, but strong readers will have a lot of "uhhh, wait?" Some things, literally, do not add up.

A great murder mystery with a twisty, fun plot. He says he got inspiration from A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, and I can see that! Well worth the read!

DNF. While I loved the premise of this, I found it very difficult to get into. The chapters were so short and choppy, I felt like I was reading a jacket copy, not an internal monologue.

An interesting read that balances true crime and the effects social media can have in catching a killer.

“14 Ways to Die” follows Jessica as she takes part in a new YouTube channel that follows kids through their day to day with the hopes of attracting enough viewers, but Jessica’s motivations have less to do with fame and more with catching the monster who killed her mother and added 13 more victims along the way.

This book sets up a good almost urban legend like mystery when it comes to the Magpie Man serial killer and it was really fun to get these little glimpses of what Jessica was able to uncover as she put this plan into motion to draw him out. You could tell there was a lot of research done to understand the psychology of a killer and using something like social media to play on those characteristics most monsters have was brilliant especially when the backlash of trolling and misdirection came about which could break any real progress.

The story itself is strong and manages to have a few red herrings that don’t take away from the impact of the reveal and while there’s a couple moments that seem too fantastical for the overall mood of the story it’s still a solid read. My biggest critique is the way the book is broken down chapter by chapter, usually when the length of each is small I tend to enjoy it more because I feel like I’m moving faster through the book but in this case a chapter could be a page and it felt more choppy than I would have liked when the rest of the narrative was running smoothly.

There’s a few moments in this book that are very powerful and show what can happen when you focus your efforts on finding justice but it never shies away from the grief of loss and the double edged sword social media can wield on the process making this a pretty solid read for any true crime fan.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

rating: 3.5 stars.

14 Ways to Die follows Jess, who's mother was murdered by the Magpie Man, an infamous serial killer who is planning to kill again. She starts a Youtube reality series in hopes to catch him. As the whole word begins to watch her every move, she struggles as her world unravels, and she's not quite sure who she can trust. And the scary part? The Magpie Man is always watching.

This was an entertaining YA suspense/thriller. I enjoyed the plot, and loved the youtube reality star aspect. This was a super quick read, with short chapters that held my attention. I didn't fully love the characters, but I did enjoy the suspenseful actions throughout the story. The secret phone calls, being watched, etc fit the narrative really well.

TW: suicide, murder, blood, gore.

#14WaystoDie
#NetGalley
What a great mystery/suspense novel for young adults! It has a fast, gripping story with a page turning plot. Snap this one up to read!

Usually, I start a review with the good. I’m going to get to that, but today I’m starting with the thing that irritated the *I-can’t-say-that-word-on-Amazon* out of me.

The book takes place in the UK, or so we’re told. The author is from and currently lives in the UK, or so we’re told.

Aside from the city names, there is absolutely nothing UK about this book. Kids are going to 5th grade or 10th grade. They’re thinking of calling 911. They are the most Middle American of Middle American kids you’ve ever read.

So one of two things is going on here:
1) The author has never set foot in the UK
2) The author or his publisher thinks American YA readers are idiots who can’t relate to a book with actual UK references or terms.

I don’t know which it is, but I have a little message for them: YA readers (teens or not) are not idiots.

Now, this is an ARC so I’m hoping that by the time this sees print, they’ve either taken this out of the UK or (preferred) stop dumbing it down for American readers.

Okay…rant over.

Once you stop trying to figure out why the book is pretending to be in the UK, it’s a good book. It’s fast paced, the characters are terrific and it’s hugely suspenseful. The Reality/Social Media aspect of it is timely and fascinating. I could see this happening in real life. The author does a good job of hiding the truth of things. I suspected our baddie for a minute, but immediately moved on to another suspect. And I never, never suspected exactly what sordid secrets were hiding out there.

Honestly, it’s a really good book that should appeal to any YA reader. Just…make up your mind where it takes place!

*ARC via Net Galley

I'm always on the hunt for my next psychological thriller/mystery book to read. Even though this novel is Young Adult, it was very well written and kept my interest. Mystery fans will love it. Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this title.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of 14 Ways to Die in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the narration here. 14 Ways to Die has some of the most consistently short chapters I've ever seen and it really, really works and bolsters the pacing of the mystery. I liked the protagonist and found her really personable and can see this going over really well with Good Girl's Guide to Murder fans. Like that book though, I do think a few side characters here could have benefitted from being a tad more developed.

I also have one small world building thing to nitpick because it drove me a little mad. A huge part of this story is the protagonist working as one of 5 contestants on a really publicized Youtube contest she's planning on using to create more urgency in her mother's unsolved case and she spends a lot of the time worrying about not being the best of the 5 contestants because then the company won't bring her back, even if she has really good views. Setting the contest on Youtube just didn't make a lot of sense since whether or not Jess won, she'd still have acquired a huge, interested audience that she could just shift to a personal channel. This should have been televised or on some kind of other website to add merit to that plot thread.

Ten years ago Jess's mother never came home from work that day, she never made it past the alley to her home because she was the first victim of the Magpie Man. While Jess's mother was the first victim she was not the last ever since that the Magpie Man kills every nine months and he carves the number of the victim on their chest.
Jess is ready to take a stand, she wants to catch the Magpie Man so she enters a competition for a YouTube reality show so that she can try to get clues and catch the Magpie Man. Then Jess wins she now has a show every monday for the next month but if she can create enough interest in her segment then she will be able to have a YouTube show for the next three months.
Little things start showing up like newspaper articles and text messages and it even goes as far as a brick being thrown into her window but Jess continues her hunt and she makes a few friends along the way she is determined more than ever to catch the Magpie Man but, will she you need to check out this book to find out if she does!
Let's talk about this book, like usual I went in blind but from the first couple of chapters I was completely hooked! I loved the whole aspect of the YouTube show, that was an awesome twist and it generated soo much interest in her show! Towards the end I was on the edge of my seat and stayed up until the early morning hours to finish because I had to know. If you like Thrillers and Mysteries I would definitely recommend this one to you! A serial killer hunt done by a teenager with the aid of a few neighbors and the internet I mean what could go wrong?

What better way to spend Valentine’s Day than reading a murder mystery? When Jessica was 7, her mother was murdered. The murder was never solved. However, additional murders started occurring on a regular basis and it was clear this was the work of a serial killer. At 17, Jessica has the opportunity to appear live once a week on social media to try to call out the killer. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

This myst be an either love it or hate it, marmite book. Ten years ago Jess lost her mother to the Magpie Man, an infamous serial killer who is still at large and planning to kill again Jess is now going to appear on a YouTube live streamed show that will follow her around as she appeals to the public to search for the Magpie man before he kills again.

Here’s the one good thing about this book: The main character is likeable - she is feisty, brave and devoted to her family and friends. But for me, this one main character still doesn’t make me want to recommend it to anyone.

You do have to suspend belief somewhat whilst reading this book - first of all - no headteacher would agree to the major ‘plot’ in this book. At all. An unscripted reality TV show on YouTube, live streamed, following an emotionally unstable teenager that is trying to taunt her mothers murderer into following her too? Not going to happen. But, it is young adult fiction and tries to embrace the idea that the younger generation loves YouTube and live streaming - although I’m not sure that’s the case either anymore, most young adults I know have now been brought up to be notoriously private on social media.

Without providing any spoilers, an event that happens 2/3rds of the way through the book was seen as a ‘surprise’ to the main character - this could have been foreseen by anyone as soon as the plot suggested she was taunting a serial killer online. I find it incredible that the author chose to present the police and detectives in, what came across to me, such a poor light throughout the book - it does make them appear lazy, impersonal and uninterested in Jess’s case.

I get the feeling this book plot should have been presented to a panel of teenagers first to get their opinions. It’s quite triggering for some people and the book does contain advice at the back of the book if you have ever been affected by any of the issues raised - but it does make me wonder whether this is one of those books that would have been better left as an unwritten idea.

Despite the promising blurb and cover, I wouldn’t recommend this book to be honest.